The Cherokee Nation is donating personal protective equipment to first responders and emergency personnel in Northeast Oklahoma. The Tahlequah-based tribe is providing more than 2,500 KN95 protective masks to fire and police departments and emergency management teams across its 14-county area that have said they need the equipment. The tribe is also sending 5,000 KN95 masks to the Navajo Nation, whose citizens have been heavily impacted by the virus. “Fire departments, emergency management operations, law enforcement and ambulatory services face uncertainty every day. That’s why Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and I want to ensure all of our first responders and emergency personnel are provided the resources they need to continue protecting our communities and keeping citizens safe,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in a news release. “We also want to help our brothers and sisters in the Navajo Nation who have taken the hardest hit in Indian Country at the hands of this devastating virus. We do this because as Cherokees, we know the importance of lending a helping hand in times of uncertainty. We will get through this as long as we remember that we are all in this together.”Many first responders have had trouble finding the masks. But the Cherokee health care facilities have been well stocked and can provide them to others, according to the release.

TAHLEQUAH, Okla. —

The Cherokee Nation is donating personal protective equipment to first responders and emergency personnel in Northeast Oklahoma.

The Tahlequah-based tribe is providing more than 2,500 KN95 protective masks to fire and police departments and emergency management teams across its 14-county area that have said they need the equipment. The tribe is also sending 5,000 KN95 masks to the Navajo Nation, whose citizens have been heavily impacted by the virus.

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“Fire departments, emergency management operations, law enforcement and ambulatory services face uncertainty every day. That’s why Deputy Chief Bryan Warner and I want to ensure all of our first responders and emergency personnel are provided the resources they need to continue protecting our communities and keeping citizens safe,” Cherokee Nation Principal Chief Chuck Hoskin Jr. said in a news release. “We also want to help our brothers and sisters in the Navajo Nation who have taken the hardest hit in Indian Country at the hands of this devastating virus. We do this because as Cherokees, we know the importance of lending a helping hand in times of uncertainty. We will get through this as long as we remember that we are all in this together.”

Many first responders have had trouble finding the masks. But the Cherokee health care facilities have been well stocked and can provide them to others, according to the release.